Clenched Hands vs. Open Hands

One Sunday during some of the stressors of 2020, I shared that I had taken a long walk with a long-time mentor of mine and during that "walk to remember" I had shared with him the good/bad/ugly of my life. For about a mile, he just listened as I poured out my heart and yes, my complaints. He then said, “Every morning we wake up and we have a decision to make….we can either approach life like this (and he opened his hands) or like this (and he clenched his hands)….Chuck, you seem like you are in a season right now where your hands are more clenched than open”. That simple illustration of going through life with clenched hands versus open hands really stuck with me and both encouraged and challenged me. In this devotional, I go a bit deeper as I believe awareness of this simple concept can change the way we respond to life. If you want to follow along in a Bible app you can go to Galatians 5 and Romans 7.